Great review, and normally I would come galumphing into these reviews with myriad lengthy insights. But I'm avoiding that today to make a public service announcement. If you, readers, are not aware, there is an official Spotify Yellowjackets playlist, updated after each episode. It's great, obviously. The longer the show goes on, though, the more likely we'll have some emotional cannibalism montage set to "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something.
“What did the bun say to the hot dog?” joke. Shauna has some good ideas: “Maybe something about how the bun is tired of having its identity tied to the hot dog? ‘Other stuff can go in me too, you know?’”
Idk why but during this scene I was reading between the lines of this joke from the POV of their daughter and all the answers Shauna offered were very upsetting considering what she understands is going on between them and Shauna’s infidelity. “What did the bun say to the hotdog?” could be replaced with “Why did you cheat on me?” And him saying “I have nothing?” Kind of sounds like him saying I thought I understood why but I think I actually don’t. It was weird. But I thought it was interesting.
Also in reference to the opening flash forward to 1998, it felt to me like a similar tease that we got with episode one with the girl in the pit. Like we’re not going to come back to that, more like a narrative tease. I would equate it to the B&W flash forwards in Better Call Saul, like we may be building up to this story development but whether you get the full story depends on if we are allowed to get to it.
The present day stuff really bothers me whenever they cut to it, it just isn't at the same level of intensity as the past. If this show was all the past I'd still watch it and it'd be one of my fav shows of all time but if this show was all the present I wouldn't even be watching it.
You mentioned LOST here and it had off island flashbacks too but the good thing about LOST was that the flashbacks were secondary color and only got a small amount of screentime relative to the island stuff (unlike here where the present gets roughly the same or slightly more focus than the past). Those flashbacks were also selfcontained character stories so if you didn't like a Jack flashbacks this week, no worries, there'd be a Charlie flashback with no connection to it next week. Here if you are not into some of the present day stuff, you're stuck with it for the whole season. I am already dreading the murder coverup storyline that's gonna take a chunk of the season.
The past is like an A+ show, up there with one of the best ever, the present is a meh B show that resembles some of the primetime soapy dramas that ABC used to air. Until the show exorcises some of the really soapy elements from the present storyline like Shauna's affair/murder and Tai's senatorial run while balancing her family life and her mental health, I feel it is going to be just short of its true potential.
Great premiere and review, but can we talk about the On ThIs Season trailer?
I can not wait for the Ice Storm reunion of Elijah Wood and Christina Ricci!! Also, his reunion with Melanie Lynsky (I Don't Feel At Home In This World).
"I don’t have a strong emotional attachment to Lottie, compared to the main four women and Van, and the show’s unwillingness to clarify exactly how correct her convictions are could prevent it from really engaging with her relationship to her mental illness."
I think this is the most dangerous line the show is currently walking. Mental illness as a source of (or perhaps the actual form of) supernatural powers in media is nothing new. There's a certain Western lens on this that seems to frame the problem as a black and white 'civilized medicine' vs 'nature' dichotomy, but it could be an interesting, nuanced, and productive discussion in the right hands.
I actually don't think I need the show to be clear on Lottie's correctness to feel good about all of this. What I'm finding possibly concerning is the way Lottie in the woods seems to be doing just fine 'off her meds' - and how the show seems to be saying that society silences her (first through meds, later through ECT - which evokes some of the most horrific images of 20th century psychiatric care). Not to say that this isn't a relevant or good critique, but it's not super nuanced at the moment and so I have some lingering concerns. I think I need to see more of the show and it's ideas around mental health, medicine, and delusions to understand and feel comfortable.
I am embarrassed to ask this, but it's time: how exactly did we know there was cannibalism involved in Season One. I've watched that opening "Pit Girl" scene over and over, and I don't see any suggestion that she will be eaten. I feel like I'm a step behind everyone.
Great review, and normally I would come galumphing into these reviews with myriad lengthy insights. But I'm avoiding that today to make a public service announcement. If you, readers, are not aware, there is an official Spotify Yellowjackets playlist, updated after each episode. It's great, obviously. The longer the show goes on, though, the more likely we'll have some emotional cannibalism montage set to "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something.
The way I didn’t get the title of this episode till reading your review. 😅
In reference to:
“What did the bun say to the hot dog?” joke. Shauna has some good ideas: “Maybe something about how the bun is tired of having its identity tied to the hot dog? ‘Other stuff can go in me too, you know?’”
Idk why but during this scene I was reading between the lines of this joke from the POV of their daughter and all the answers Shauna offered were very upsetting considering what she understands is going on between them and Shauna’s infidelity. “What did the bun say to the hotdog?” could be replaced with “Why did you cheat on me?” And him saying “I have nothing?” Kind of sounds like him saying I thought I understood why but I think I actually don’t. It was weird. But I thought it was interesting.
Also in reference to the opening flash forward to 1998, it felt to me like a similar tease that we got with episode one with the girl in the pit. Like we’re not going to come back to that, more like a narrative tease. I would equate it to the B&W flash forwards in Better Call Saul, like we may be building up to this story development but whether you get the full story depends on if we are allowed to get to it.
The present day stuff really bothers me whenever they cut to it, it just isn't at the same level of intensity as the past. If this show was all the past I'd still watch it and it'd be one of my fav shows of all time but if this show was all the present I wouldn't even be watching it.
You mentioned LOST here and it had off island flashbacks too but the good thing about LOST was that the flashbacks were secondary color and only got a small amount of screentime relative to the island stuff (unlike here where the present gets roughly the same or slightly more focus than the past). Those flashbacks were also selfcontained character stories so if you didn't like a Jack flashbacks this week, no worries, there'd be a Charlie flashback with no connection to it next week. Here if you are not into some of the present day stuff, you're stuck with it for the whole season. I am already dreading the murder coverup storyline that's gonna take a chunk of the season.
The past is like an A+ show, up there with one of the best ever, the present is a meh B show that resembles some of the primetime soapy dramas that ABC used to air. Until the show exorcises some of the really soapy elements from the present storyline like Shauna's affair/murder and Tai's senatorial run while balancing her family life and her mental health, I feel it is going to be just short of its true potential.
Great premiere and review, but can we talk about the On ThIs Season trailer?
I can not wait for the Ice Storm reunion of Elijah Wood and Christina Ricci!! Also, his reunion with Melanie Lynsky (I Don't Feel At Home In This World).
Lauren Ambrose as adult Van is genius casting.
"I don’t have a strong emotional attachment to Lottie, compared to the main four women and Van, and the show’s unwillingness to clarify exactly how correct her convictions are could prevent it from really engaging with her relationship to her mental illness."
I think this is the most dangerous line the show is currently walking. Mental illness as a source of (or perhaps the actual form of) supernatural powers in media is nothing new. There's a certain Western lens on this that seems to frame the problem as a black and white 'civilized medicine' vs 'nature' dichotomy, but it could be an interesting, nuanced, and productive discussion in the right hands.
I actually don't think I need the show to be clear on Lottie's correctness to feel good about all of this. What I'm finding possibly concerning is the way Lottie in the woods seems to be doing just fine 'off her meds' - and how the show seems to be saying that society silences her (first through meds, later through ECT - which evokes some of the most horrific images of 20th century psychiatric care). Not to say that this isn't a relevant or good critique, but it's not super nuanced at the moment and so I have some lingering concerns. I think I need to see more of the show and it's ideas around mental health, medicine, and delusions to understand and feel comfortable.
I am embarrassed to ask this, but it's time: how exactly did we know there was cannibalism involved in Season One. I've watched that opening "Pit Girl" scene over and over, and I don't see any suggestion that she will be eaten. I feel like I'm a step behind everyone.